Thanks for Everything, Mom

It's been a sad start to 2013 for my family and me.

Daughter Hannah with Mom

On the 18th of January, our wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt, Lorraine Benson, died. She was ill for only a short period of time but, thankfully, I was able to fly to the US and spend the final days of her life at her bedside, along with my brother and sister. 

Losing a beloved parent is never easy, but my brother, sister and I have been luckier than many. Mom lived to a ripe old age (although, as she said on her last birthday, "90 is the new 80", so she probably would have relished a few more years). She gave us decades of love, support and attention, and was great company until the very end.

I am so happy that my mother lived long enough to see my book published, especially as she was an avid reader with wide-ranging taste in literature, film, theatre and music. The fact that she loved "At Yellow Lake" makes me prouder than anything else to do with the book.

And, of course, it was her book in many ways. Her father built the real cabin on Yellow Lake. She (along with my father) took care of the place for many years, and helped make it such a special place for my family and friends. As a child growing up in the Great Depression, Mom experienced dislocation and financial uncertainty; the cabin (which was deeded to her uncle during the very lean years) was  her only steady "home" at that time, even though it was only inhabitable during the summer months, and was, until my grandfather's business became less precarious, no more than a souped-up ice storage shed.  

As I said, Mom was great company. She loved to talk (as well as listen) and was a great story-teller. Her words helped me imagine the past--her past, her family's past. Her Grandmother Hanson (in ghostly form) even made it into the final draft of At Yellow Lake!

I remember Frank Cottrell Boyce, at the 2011 SCBWI Conference in Winchester, saying that writing is, essentially, a paying back and a playing forward. What my parents gave me can never be repaid, but I know that they are both still part of  my writing life, in terms of the stories I chose to tell, and in the characters and settings I use. 

More importantly, like all good parents (and probably bad parents, too!) they are both part of my wider life and relationships. I'm not sure if I disagree entirely with Philip Larkin's famous adage (look it up, kids!) but I know that my parents gave me nothing but the good bits--the bad bits were all my own work! 

   

Thanks for everything, Mom 

Goodbye 2012 and Hello 2013!

2012 was a most memorable and amazing year for me!

As I look into 2013 I want to make just a few "reflections" , if not resolutions...

1)  Success feels wonderful, but in writing, as in life, rejection and disappointment are also part of the game. I resolve to treat them as necessary complements to all the good things that have come my way, and shrug them off in a gracious and professional manner. Yeah, really...

2) People are more important than the work. I resolve to make more of a fuss about the amazing supporters who have made my writing life (and life, in general) such a happy and enjoyable one. Thank you, awesome friends!

3) I will never pay attention to other writer's word counts. I will never follow trends. I will never beat myself up over real or imagined inadequacies. (Actually, I only need to address the final resolution. I wouldn't know a trend if it bit me--what is steam-punk anyway--and know only too well how easy it is to write 5,000 words of utter dross) Damn, there I go beating myself up, again!

4) I will attend more SCBWI socials and events. SCBWI is the truly the gift that keeps on giving!

5) I will try to make the world a better place by speaking out when I need to and shutting up when I should. (Guess which of these will be the hardest?)

6) I will waste even more time on social media because that's where all the cool people hang out!

Here's to a happy, healthy and creative year for all of us.

xx

JANE

Merry Christmas!

It's been quiet on the blog recently, as I've been in the writing cave  (OK, at the writing desk in the somewhat cave-like bedroom...).

I'd like to sign off 2012 by wishing all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013. It's been a brilliantly tumultuous year, and one that has changed my life in many ways. The best thing about it?




Not the events...

Not the book launches...

Not the travels...

But the wonderful people...and here are just a few of them!

The Next Big Thing

Last week, fellow American transplant (such an unlovely term for such a lovely person!) Teresa Flavin, author of the Blackhope Enigma trilogy, tagged me in the series "The Next Big Thing," which started with Lari Don's blog and involves "tagging" five fellow UK based children's writers and having them answer questions about their latest work in progress. I met Teresa at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this summer, and am delighted to take part.

However....

I have been unable to find five writers to tag. Writers I contacted had already been tagged or weren't bloggers, or didn't feel comfortable writing about their latest WIP.

So, I have broken the chain--and we all know what that means! Fortunately, I broke every chain letter I ever received as a child and didn't suffer any adverse effects (despite all the warnings about "BREAKING THE CHAIN!!"). Hopefully, I've built up some chain-breaking hex immunity.

I'm also going to be a little tongue in cheek about my answers to most of the questions. Due to the closing of the Frances Lincoln children's fiction list, I have a novel that is on submission at the moment and the "next big thing" that I'm writing about today hasn't been seen by my agent yet!

What is the working title of your latest book?

That School Thingy

Where did the idea for the story come from?

I've always thought of schools as evil places.

What genre does your book fall under?

A MG (11+) mystery.

What actors would you choose to cast in a movie version of your book?

Can't decide between Rufus Sewell or Javier Bardem for the male lead (OK, if Teresa wants Javier, I'll graciously accept Rufus). Adult female characters? Helen McCrory, Frances Barber, Jodie Whittaker. Most of the parts would be played by children, though...

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? 

A lonely girl discovers the horrifying truth about Javier Bardem (or Rufus Sewell) and other stuff. (How's that for an amazing pitch?)  

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The idea for this story has taken several guises...it was actually a screenplay at one time, with the focus on the adult characters. This draft has taken about 6 months, but a lot of the basic planning had been done before. My first draft of At Yellow Lake took over 2 years!

Will your book be self-published or are you represented by an agent? 

I am very lucky to be represented by Sallyanne Sweeney at Watson, Little.

Again, thanks to Teresa and all the other writers who have taken part. Hopefully, I'll be able to include clearer details on this (and other) work in the near future.

In the meantime....Javier, if you're reading this, I'm more than happy to write in a part for Penelope, too!

A Good News Week: Holy Trinity College, Carnegie, and YLG/SLANI Ireland Book Day

A lovely week....

On Friday I found out that At Yellow Lake has been longlisted for the 2013 CILIP Carnegie award! A great surprise, and a wonderful honour.

On Tuesday, I travelled to County Antrim for the CILIP YLG/SLANI Wendy Drewett Ireland Book Day conference.  I appeared on a panel for debut writers, with Dave Cousins and Sarah Hammond and met other writers, including Diana Hendry, Paul Howard, Liz Pinchon and Katherine Roberts.

Sarah Hammond, Dave Cousins and I on the debut novelists  panel moderated by Rachel Levy

Joy Court moderating the New Directions panel with Paul Howard, Diana  Hendry and Katherine Roberts 

The day before, I had the pleasure of doing a workshop at Holy Trinity College, in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. Here are some photos of the workshop and of two of the classes I had the pleasure to work with.

A great group--enthusiastic and creative

I loved the Q & A session with Year 8. Very insightful questions!

The loveliest group of Year 8s I've ever met!

Thanks to staff and students for a wonderful day!

Which Side Are You On?

There's an election in the US tomorrow and, although I do my best to steer clear of party political American shenanigans, I've not been able to distance myself from it completely.

Sorry, wrong Romney! This is Mitt's dad, politician and chairman of the American Motors Car Company. who  ran for president in 1968. No wonder Mitt loves "family values"! 

America is very polarised country. Mitt Romney famously poured scorn on the 49% of Americans who don't pay taxes and were therefore worthy of his derision and contempt. The divides in the US are not just economic--political difference also means a profound diversion on issues that are ostensibly "religious" such as reproductive rights, gay marriage, the teaching of non-scientific creation stories, etc. However, for all conservatives, even those of a more libertarian bent, being poor, and particularly having to rely on any kind of government assistance is also "moral" issue. It's just wrong, dammit. It's a sin. It's taking money from the pockets of hard-working, decent, honest American taxpayers.

Mitt Romney and other hard-working taxpayers at Bain Capital 

This attitude has not softened in my lifetime. It has hardened considerably, in fact. It is also, to some extent, crossing the Atlantic. Emotive or  pejorative terms such as "taxpayer" (good) and "welfare" (bad) are now used regularly in the UK.

Well, what does that have to do with writing for young people, you may ask?

A lot, in my opinion.

I think that as writers we must be advocates for our readers. Here in the UK, cuts in education, in library services, the dropping of EMA and the rise of tuition fees, have had a profound implications for virtually all young people. The cuts that are directed specifically at the poor or vulnerable--for example, the forced displacement of inner London families due to draconian cuts in housing benefit, the axing of benefits and programmes for young people with disabilities--have even more impact.

This doesn't mean, of course, that our writing should be "political", or we should only write about the poor and dispossessed, or make rich people the bad guys. My own writing isn't particularly political and in "At Yellow Lake" the bad guys are as poor, if not poorer, than the "goodies." It also doesn't mean that well-off people don't have problems. Many issues that affect young people--depression, eating disorders, family break-up, neglectful parenting, drug or alcohol abuse--don't discriminate between rich or poor.

But I do think it's important to keep our eyes open and think about the many political decisions that affect young people. We can do this actively. Many writers have worked tirelessly against UK library cuts. Others may blog about education. I know writers who work with Amnesty and refugee organisations.

We can also reflect this in our own practice. I don't mean we have to be joylessly "worthy" but I think somewhere, in our subconscious writing minds, we have to be aware that while life for all young people is full of challenges, there are others for whom life is even more daunting. When a government or political party  disregards or disrespects the needs of some groups of  people, while privileging the desires and wants of other groups, I think writers should take sides.

And the side we should be on is the side of the disregarded or disrespected. The privileged can take care of themselves.

They usually do.

MeNoLikeNo NaNoWriMo

Well, it's almost November again, and that means that the NaNoWriMo hashtag will be soon be appearing on Twitter feeds and Facebook posts all over the English-speaking world.

I'm a writer of sorts, so this is the type of thing that should warm the cockles of my heart, fuel my imagination and cause my "I can type 100 wpm" fingertips to tingle with delight and anticipation.

Should. But doesn't. In fact, I have real problems with NaNoWriMo, and in this post I'll tell you why.

Before I begin...I'm sure that many people will have a fantastically enjoyable month. Some writers may find it beneficial to their work and it may even release untapped creative skill, energy and inspiration. To those people, I can only say: "Well done, and I'm glad you enjoyed the experience."

So, what's your big problem, then, Jane, you may ask yourself. Are you jealous or something?

I don't know if I'm jealous of someone who can write 100,000 words in a month, though I know damn well that I couldn't. This feeling is similar to the non-jealousy I feel about some fool--oh, sorry, I mean person--who runs a marathon. I couldn't do it, so from that perspective a marathon runner has something over on me---big-time. Am I jealous of that person? It's possible, but not very likely.





Back to NaNoWriMo. This event strikes me as something akin to "National Loose a Bunch of Weight Real Fast Month" Yes, rapid weight loss might enable some people to lower dangerously high BMIs. It might encourage other to make permanent healthy lifestyle changes. But for most people, such a month would eventually backfire, the weight would pile back on, and the experience of wild success followed by rapid failure would demoralise and depress, making any real weight even harder to shift.

Of course, with NaNoWriMo, there's no chance of such a reversal. You write the words and nobody takes them away if you don't keep up the momentum (At least, I don't think they do.)

But what happens when an aspiring writer runs out of steam on, say the 10th of the month? Does he or she feel like a loser? Not like a proper "novelist"?  There may be many talented people for whom failure during NaNoWriMo is a real personal defeat. They may not realise that, in fact, writing a novel in a month, is actually quite a daft (if not dangerous) aspiration.

And what about other writers, who are struggling with deadlines, or desperately trying to get a new project off the ground after a submission to an agent or publisher has come back to them, rejected? How do they feel--the blocked, the demoralised--when a million wannabees are posting:  Just nailed my daily 5,000 words!  #nanowrimo

Sick, that's how they feel!

Obviously, I'm being just a tad flippant. Any serious writer would know that  NaNoWriMo is a bit of fun, or use the challenge to push themselves through a stagnant or dormant piece of writing. A real writer wouldn't expect success after only month, or give up if they failed to hit their word-count.

What really bothers me, though, is the way NaNoWriMo seems to present writing as something that anybody can succeed at as long as they write enough words in a short enough time. Of course, many people can write novels, but only with talent, and only after long periods of hard work, diligence and devotion to craft. Similarly, many people can write 100,000 words or so in a month, but the chances of producing something even remotely resembling a "novel" are extremely unlikely.

To me, NaNoWriMo  trivialises both writers and writing.

Maybe I just know too many good writers who are still struggling to get published, or too many authors who've worked for years and years before seeing their work in print. I know the hard slog that real writers put in day after day. To have that dedication and perseverance mocked by an event that makes writing seem like a hobby (buy an official Thermos!), a sport (wear badges and stickers!) or even a  charity (try on a yellow wristbands!) really annoys me.

Yes, anyone can call themselves a writer.That's not new. Grab yourself a notebook and a pen, put on a beret, sit in a cafe.  But to call yourself a novelist? Just because you went on-line, did a lot of typing and used a hashtag?

 That's really #takingthepiss